


something wicca this way comes

by MementoMoriPontifexMortis



Series: Charmed [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Charmed, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Demons, F/M, Mangling of canon, Modern Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-23 22:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12518092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MementoMoriPontifexMortis/pseuds/MementoMoriPontifexMortis
Summary: elizaveta and her two younger cousins gain a magical destiny on the anniversary of their grandfather’s death





	something wicca this way comes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TinyTeddy878](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyTeddy878/gifts).



> i took this idea a while ago and it took forever to bloom. i hope it’s as good for everyone else as i think it is. i also took the information about charmed and twisted it to fit the story for storytelling purposes so if you’re a watcher of that show and you’re like, ‘wait a minute bubbles, this is different from the show' that’s because i did it on purpose. i know the show’s canon by heart - it’s my favourite show, so if anything’s different and doesn’t make sense with the canon we got with the show, it’s because i changed it up for this story.

The clock chimed throughout the silent old Victorian house, it’s occupants asleep as the time neared the middle of the witching hour. A soft bright light emitted from the chandelier, filling the house until it quickly died off, leaving no trace. Quietly a whisper traveled through the house, making it’s way to the attic, depositing a large old book on a pedestal in the center. “Blessed be,” The light said as it faded.

Down in the largest bedroom, Elizaveta, the eldest cousin woke with a start. She looked around the darkened room, dropping her head back on her pillow, covering her entire body with her duvet. Turning in the bed, she moved to the colder side of the bed, heading back to sleep. She shivered slightly as she curled into herself, head poking out. Her dark brown hair swept out across the pillow as she heard the deep voice of her grandfather, lulling her back into her dreams.

In the middle bedroom, Ema, the middle cousin, also woke with a start, jolting upwards to sit up. She frowned as she looked for the source of the reason why she had woken up but she found none. Slipping out of bed, she tiptoed over to the jack and jill bathroom, getting herself something to drink before heading back to bed. Laying back down, she covered herself up and dug under the blankets, her golden hair the only part of her to be seen; the sound of her grandfather luring her back into the dream world.

The last bedroom laid dark as the youngest cousin, Liisa, slept on. She woke only briefly as she heard the voice of her grandfather tempting her back to sleep; her blonde hair hidden from the world by her dark green duvet and the pillow. She turned slightly, facing the window in her room, eyes opening just slightly to see the figure of her grandfather, inching closer with a gentle look on his face. She gave the ghostly figure a smile before drifting off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

“The lights shorted out again.” Elizaveta said, walking into the kitchen. She made a beeline towards the pot of coffee brewing, frowning as she did so. “That’s the third time this week.”

“Again?” Liisa groaned, dropping her head on the table. Given that she was the one who had to wait around all day for the electrician to show up, since she had no job, meant that her annoyance towards the crappy electricity in house was getting on her nerves. “The electrician was just in here last week!”

“I know, I know.” Elizaveta said, shaking her own head as she moved to sit down. She grabbed the newspaper from in front of Liisa and sighed. “I don’t know what to do, every time they’re out here, they tell us nothing’s wrong, but the fact that my clock reset itself last night – so did most of the alarm clocks – mean that something’s happen.”

“So I checked the breaker downstairs,” Ema said, coming up. She stopped short as she saw Elizaveta, “Oh, hey, I didn’t know you were up. Anyway so I went downstairs, the breaker seems fine – not overloaded or anything. I don’t fully understand why we’re shorting out.”

“So we’re going to have to hire another electrician?” Liisa asked, handing her cousin the plate she was watching for her.

Ema nodded, eating quickly. “I’ll call one for today on my way to work since Elizaveta has an interview?” She turned towards her cousin, frowning, “Right?”

Elizaveta nodded, since she had lost her job due to her cheating ex, she had been sending out her resume for weeks, finally getting a response from some auction house. It wasn’t her dream job, but it was one that if she got would help pay for the bills that the old Victorian house had. She knew that any smart person would have sold the money pit of a house, but it was the one that she and her cousins were raised in; the one that held the last few memories she had of her parents and she knew that she would never be able to sell it. None of them would, even though they had agreed to if the place got to much to handle.

“I have no clue when I’ll be back, since it’s across the town, but I shouldn’t be too late.” She said, downing the rest of her drink and placing it in the sink. She moved forward, kissing Ema and Liisa on the cheek before heading upstairs. She had to get ready, she wanted to look nice which meant spending more time on getting ready then she was used to. None of them were too fond of getting all dressed up, Ema being the only one who once held a job that required her to wear a formal outfit more than once. Of course, her cousin had quit that job not long after starting it, instead turning to her dream job of being a chef. She was good enough, there was no doubt about that, but the loss of that money they got from her previous job had caused a bit of a riff between the cousins.

Getting ready, she checked herself out in the mirror before her watched beeped, forcing herself to rush down to the driveway to her mini cooper. 

 

* * *

 

“Liisa, I called the electrician, he should be getting here by 12!” Ema yelled as she left, the house going quiet as soon as the door closed. It had been months since she had come back from college so she was quite used to the quiet that was the empty house, especially since she had yet to get a job. Her grandfather was right about one thing, she really should’ve chose a better major than Liberal Arts.

Shaking her head, Liisa got up and grabbed her tool box, heading towards the attic. They day they moved back in her after their grandfather’s first heart attack, they had realized that they weren’t able to get the attic door open. It was the one room in the Victorian manor that could not be opened and the one room that she wanted open more than anything.

When she had first moved into the house with their Grandfather, she had been nearing six years old and she could remember that after her grandfather had introduced her to her cousins – the ones she never really knew she had – he had told her that under no circumstances were she allowed to go into the attic or the basements. She had figured that the basement was haunted – she had always heard weird noises down there and blamed it on the Woogey monster, but she had yet to figure out what secrets the attic held. She had barely ever heard any sound coming from it.

Bending so she could sit on the small landing, she opened her toolbox, pulling out the hammer and screwdriver first. She had used softer methods previously, but since they had come to no good, she was prepared for a big more tougher ones. Placing the screwdriver in the keyhole and angling the hammer, she struck down and the door shook with force. Lifting a hand, Liisa tested the doorknob, ready for it not to open like all her previous attempts.

This time though, something happened. She must have hit the door in the right angle because with barely a twist, the door swung open, creaking from disuse. Liisa backed away from the door, eyes wide as she let go of the knob, the door swinging fully open. For a second she hesitated. Yes, she had been hoping for the door to open, but her expectations were low.

Stepping inside, slowly, Liisa looked around. The dark wood paneling of the walls gave way to the dark timber beams that held the roof up. Her eyes followed the dark trail, awe evident on her face. She hadn’t expected the attic to be so rustic looking. Walking further in, she noted how much of the stuff that resided in boxes was stuff that belonged to her and her cousins when they were younger; how much of the mess that lined the walls was things from her family’s past.

Further back, next to the window that faced the front yard, there was a pedestal. It’s was bleached light wood, something that was a deep contrast to all the darkness of the room. On it sat a book, thicker than any school book she had owned and bound in a tight rough looking leather. From the sight of the pages, it was old; yellowed from age and the edges like an old fashion book you’d see on display at a library; slightly ripped and used.

Instinctively, she reached for it, a hand gliding across the gilded words that were etched on front. “’The Book of Shadows’.” She read softly, the words just ghosting over her lips.

She flipped the top open, hands caressing each old page before she flipped it over and over again, stopping as she got to one...what was these? Poems? They all did rhyme. Shrugging, Liisa looked over the words before she read it aloud, “Spell for Invoking the Power of Three -

_Hear now the words of the witches_   
_The secrets we hid in the night._   
_The oldest of gods are invoked here_   
_The great work of magic is sought._   
_In this night and in this hour_   
_We call upon the ancient power._   
_Bring your powers to us sisters three_   
_We want the power. Give us the power.”_

For a second she waited before she shook her head. “Come on, Liisa, you’re a big girl now. Magic doesn’t exist and even if it did, this book obviously belongs to a group of sisters, not cousins.” She closed the book with a thud right as there was a knock on the door. Groaning, she raced past her stuff, promising to look more into the attic later, not noticing the light sparkling in the room.

Three flights of stairs later and she opened the door to a bright blue eyed, golden haired man with a smile wider than anything she’d ever seen before. She smiled back, flirting just a little bit, before showing him the way to the basement. “Sorry, I’m scared of basements.” She half lied before retreating back to the living room. Looking around, she realized that she’d have nothing to do if she just waited around watching morning TV shows.

Rushing upstairs and grabbing a few of the books that laid in a trunk not far behind the Book of Shadows, Liisa piled them on top of said book and ran back downstairs, hiding what she wasn’t reading with the quilt that her grandfather had always had on the couch. She listened as the handyman worked in the basement before she opened the first book near her.

It was a thin thing, the title well worn and barely readable. Liisa spent over five minutes trying to decipher it, finally settling on, Halliwell Historie to Magic by Prudence Halliwell. She had never heard of the author before, but she thanked the person for writing down whatever it was she did. Wordlessly, she opened the dry, cracking pages and began reading the words.

_In the beginning, when magick was formed, the goddess Circe – also a fae – blessed a few humans with the ability to harness the magick in the air. The first human magick had to use a conduit, such as a wand or staff, to call on their powers, but as they began breeding with humans and others, such habits quickly died out._

_The first magick user, who had once supposedly had an affair with Circe, continued using the practice and when fear of being weak came to him, he began collecting the old conduits that his fellow magick users had tossed aside, gaining power from them. That was not enough for him though and this dark magick user became the Source, a demonic being who killed those who held power and passed out power to the elemental demons that roamed in the Underworld. Calling them to his side, he began to siphon magick from his new minions, keeping them weaker than himself._

_Circe, who had stayed with the other gods, descended down upon the earth and created a race of special magick users, The Elders. Tasked to defend the earth with their specially chosen whitelighters – humans who had passed that had shown great love and sacrifice during their lives, especially within the last few days of it – and a prophecy that would not be known until the Halliwell line was born._

_Melinda Warren was burned at the stake, betrayed by her lover who had turned out to be a warlock, and she swore, right before she burned, that generations of her family would come until a trio of sisters would be born and with them, the fight against evil would grow until they had defeat the Source. Many generations of Warren and Halliwells have been born, many of them hoping to be the one to gain notoriety of being the Charmed Ones originator, but so far, none has arrived._

“Hey?”

Liisa looked up from her reading, shoving the book under her legs and giving the handyman a smile. “Hey, sorry, need something?” She asked.

The man smiled, “Yeah, um, do you guys have a flashlight. Mine died.” He replied, lifting his flashlight up with a small shrug.

Liisa stared at him for a second before nodding, jumping up from the couch and, after making sure everything was covered, brought him back to the kitchen and into the mudroom where their laundry machine sat, pulling down a flashlight. “It should work, if not, there’s more of them in here.” She said.

“Thanks.” The man – Nikolaj, if his name tag was to be trusted – said and moved to walk off. Her blue eyes watched as he traveled back downstairs, whistling a song to himself as he did so. With him gone from the darkness that was the entrance to the basement, Liisa shivered and ran back to the safety of the living room. At least that placed was used often enough that it felt homey and comfortable.

Sliding back on the couch, Liisa went back to her book, her eyes scanning it for more information on the supposed ‘Charmed Ones’. Out of everything from the passages she had read, that was the most interesting to her. The book had nothing, not really besides small mentions of the prophecy that had proclaimed the Charmed Ones comings and so she changed books.

From magic and it’s uses to magic lines through the ages, she couldn’t find anything. The last book, Warren Tree was her last hope and Liisa opened the book and, instead of finding paragraphs of words, she found pages upon pages of a family tree. Her hands ghosted over each name, finding multiples of the same one – the Warren line apparently liked naming their kids after dead people. She flipped to the last few pages, watching as the names went from Warren and Halliwell to Kirkland and Hedarvary.

_Ezra Wyatt (May 1, 1931) – (September 4, 2005)_ was underneath Piper Halliwell and her husband, Leo Wyatt. She spotted Eliza’s father, Daniel with his wife, Erzrabet Hedavary. Ema’s mother Kaisa and her husband, Jaani von Bock. Finally she came to her parents names.

Her heart stopped as she saw, _Aino Wyatt (February 12, 1965) – (April 13, 1988)_ right next to her father’s name, _Nikolai Väinämöinen (August 3, 1963) – (April 13, 1988)_. The gold tinted ink that had been used to etch the names on the paper glinted in the light as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She closed the book gently, her hands caressing the cover before she moved it off to the side.

It was time for a late lunch. 

 

* * *

 

Ema looked around her the restaurant, her eyes scanning to make sure everything was going right. She hated managing things, she wanted to be in the kitchen cooking, but when her boss left, he left her in charge and so walking around making sure everything was going fine every few minutes was something she had to do. Sighing as everything seemed to be going good, she made her way back to the kitchen to inspect it.

She loved the chaos of the kitchen, her Gramps had taught her to, and so it was more of a home for her. He taught her old dishes that had belonged to his father who had traveled the world as a soldier, picking up recipes and keeping them tucked away in his brain and from there, she learnt to cook almost anything. Culinary school had helped that too.

But then Gramps had a heart attack, she moved back to the manor and took a crappy job as a secretary, hating every second of it. Eliza had loved the money that that job had brought in; it had been enough to pay some of Gramps medical bills and the other bills that owning such an old and historic house brought. Ema could admit that she missed the money that it brought as well, at least with that job they weren’t struggling as much as they were now. But, she was positive that once Eliza got a job, they’d be doing better.

Sighing, she quickly talked with the temporary head chef and then moved on. That was the whole reason her boss had wandered off – to go find a brand new head chef. From another country.

She wasn’t sure why he didn’t think any one from around could fill the position given that he had been getting resumes from near 5 star Michelin chefs, but it was something that she apparently couldn’t understand, no matter how hard she tried. She shook her head at the craziness of her boss, the man was a loon, but also a visionary and it was his crazy and out there ways that had lead the restaurant to be named one of the best on the Western seaboard.

A knock on her door made her to look up in surprise, “Come in!” She called. She normally did not get any visitors when she was in the back room.

The door opened, showing Liisa looking shy. “Hey, I hope you’re not too busy I have something very important to talk to you about.” She said, holding her bag close to her side.

“I thought you were going to watch the repairman?” Ema sighed. It wouldn’t be the first time that Liisa had dodged out on something she had promised to do. “We can’t afford-”

“I’m not that flaky.” Liisa argued, “Nikolaj, the repair guy, is at the house fixing it up. Everything fine. He’s a reliable looking sort.”

Ema stared at her cousin in shock. “You left a stranger in our house?”

“No.. well yeah, but Eliza was on her way home when I was leaving and she said it be okay. If he steals anything or does anything creepy, she’ll be able to catch him.” Liisa explained, shaking her head. To her Ema was always a stickler for rules and order, constantly getting between her and Eliza on the few times that they fought, but Ema couldn’t help that. Her parents – as short a time as she had with them – had always taught her to be responsible and keep your head down, which meant not arguing in someone else’s house, even if that someone was your grandfather and guardian.

“Liisa.” She started before stopping herself with a shake of the head. “Okay, well let me order us some food and we can sit at the bar and you can talk to me about whatever it was you wanted to talk to me about.”

Leaving the room, Ema gave a small order to the one of the chefs, telling him that the main floor had priority and that they’d be at the bar when it was done. She waited for him to agree before she went back to the room and motioned for Liisa to follow her.

“So, Liisa, what is so important.” She asked as she moved to sit in the seat closest to the wall.

Liisa looked ready to burst with whatever she had to say. “I think Gramps was a witch and so are we.”

“Oh.” Ema gave a look, “I thought boy witches were warlocks or wizards?”

Liisa sighed, “Don’t deflect the conversation.” She scolded, shaking her head as Jake brought their drinks. “I’m being honest here. I got into the attic – don’t worry I locked it so the hot repairman stays out – and there was all these books about magic. There’s even a book on a pedestal called, get this, The Book of Shadows.”

“Great, you’re destroying the memories I have of the guy who raised us.” She rolled her eyes a little, taking a deep sip of her coffee. “No, but seriously, Liisa calm your imagination. Gramps wasn’t a witch.”

“How do you know?”

“Because, he didn’t do witchy things.”

“But how do you know?” Liisa argued, this time more persistent. She pulled her bag up and pulled out the book by Prudence – her great great something or other. “Look, this was in a chest with other magic books. It details magic.”

Ema rolled her eyes, “Okay, lets say Gramps did magic. Only one problem, magic is not real.”

“You sound like Eliza.”

“Oh low blow.” Ema groaned, dropping her head on the wall behind her. Their eldest cousin had never truly believed in magic unlike the both of them.

“You just repeated what she always told us when we were younger.” Liisa frowned, “Magic does exist, I know you believe in it, I just don’t get why you think we can’t have magic too.”

“Liisa, even if Gramps did dawdle with magic it doesn’t make us magical.” She argued, finally seeing the thing her cousin wanted.

“That’s not true, our entire bloodline is magical.”

“My mom and dad were not magical.” Ema said firmly. “I would’ve known.”

“But would you have?” Liisa asked softly. “I mean, you were basically a toddler when-”

“Liisa!”

Her cousin knew better than to make mention of her parents deaths, the car accident that destroyed her family always brought a fresh wave of anger and sadness to her, leaving her ill tempered for hours afterwards. Unlike Liisa who had arrived angry and then proceeded to stay angry until her second year of college, Ema had never really allowed herself to mourn her parents.

“I’m sorry,” Her cousin said, licking her lips. “I just meant-Oh my god!”

Ema looked up and frowned, “What?”

“The room!” Liisa yelled and Ema turned her attention from her own sadness to the dining room that was filled with people not moving. Jake was paused in place balancing a tray filled with dirty dishes while Martha was about to spill a drink onto a customer. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “You froze the room?”

“Me?” Ema finally managed to squeak out. “Why are you blaming me?”

“Because you did your hand thingy!” Her cousin attempted to flick her hands like Ema normally did, the attempt failing miserably. “Plus, I’ve already tried to freeze things and move things – those are two of the main powers our family has by the way – but I’ve not been able to.”

“Okay, so lets say I did do this, how do I undo it?” She asked seriously. “Because if the kitchen staff comes out and sees this, we’re dead.”

“Oh,” Liisa started flipping through her book, hoping for something. “Re-flick your hands?” She suggested.

Ema raised her hands but before she could flick them again, the whole room unpaused, people continuing on as if nothing had happened. She turned from the dining room to stare at Liisa, “What did you do?” She asked. 

 

* * *

 

When Elizaveta returned home, she was greeted by the sight of a large blonde man standing on a ladder and playing with the chandelier. Frowning, she walked around it, looking up. “Who are you?” She asked.

“Oh, hi, Nikolaj. I’m the electrician.” He answered, placing his tools on the top step and climbing down to shake her hands.

She nodded, “What are you doing with the chandelier?”

“Oh, your main line runs above it, I noticed it when I was fixing your box.” He replied, smiling brightly.

Elizaveta hummed, “Well thanks.” She said before adding, “So you fixed the constant power issues?” She wasn’t very hopeful since no one had managed to fix it since it first started happening.

“Yeah, it was a pretty simple fix, just had to readjust the- y’know what, it’s boring stuff, don’t worry though I did fix it.”

“That’s good.” Elizaveta murmured, looking for all the world uncomfortable. “Well, I’m going to go-are you fixing something?”

“Yeah, just taping up some parts where it looks like something chewed through it; should stop it from shorting out again.” The repairman answered, motioning towards the old chandelier.

“OK, well, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.” Elizaveta moved quickly through the house, looking back only once to see Nikolaj climbing the ladder. She muttered to herself about weird handymen who fixed things that weren’t on the list of things they needed to fix as she went to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup.

Finally peace and quiet after her entire day.

While her interview had gone pretty good, it couldn’t help but be marred by the fact that she had screwed up and insulted her interviewer and seemingly bugged the best worker by insinuating that working in an auction house was the lowest of lows and only those who sought to take from old grieving people worked there. She had seriously put her foot in her mouth. Which was strange. She was normally the best at talking, often charming people quicker than most, but ever since Gramps died, she seemed to have a bit of trouble with that.

Ten minutes of contemplating her life passed by when she was forcible pulled out of those sweet thoughts by the door slamming open and Liisa talking in Finnish. That was what she loved about her cousins, their individual languages that they had picked up from their parents. Though their entire family on their Gramps side was born and raised in the United States, their parents had married people from other countries, moving with their spouses and starting a life there. Her own mother had taught her father to speak Hungarian, passing what little she could unto her before dying. Elizaveta had continued to learn afterwards, determined to have some form of connection to her deceased loved ones.

“Liza!” Liisa yelled as she walked through the house. “Where are you?”

“Kitchen,” She heard Nikolaj tell them, a smile evident in his voice.

Ema stopped moving, the sound of her work heels pausing, “Who are you?” She asked, and if Eliza didn’t know her cousin as well as she did, she wouldn’t be able to hear the sound of awe in her cousin’s voice.

Ema fell in love too often and too quickly, it was a worry for Elizaveta. Thankfully, Liisa had already started to drag her from talking to the hunk that was fixing the electric and into the kitchen. “Oh thank goodness you’re here, we have a problem.” Liisa said the moment she saw her.

“What did you two do?” Though it wasn’t often, Liisa had sometimes managed to drag Ema into participating in her stupid, not thought out plans and Elizaveta was hoping that today was not one of those days.

“Oh no, not me.” Ema argued, “This time, it’s all Liisa.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Liisa frowned, “I mean, it’s not my fault we’re… y’know, witches!”

“What?” Elizaveta scoffed, “We’re not witches.”

“No, no, we’re witches.” Ema said before turning back to Liisa and arguing again, “And I mean, you even admitted you said a spell to bring magic to you – to us!”

“No, I said I did a spell to bring magic to sisters, we’re cousins.”

“Minute differences!”

Elizaveta sighed angrily, “Hey, stop it!” She clapped her hands together as if she was a kindergarten teacher while raising her voice slightly. “Stop fighting and explain.”

“I froze my restaurant today.” Ema started, a constipated look on her face. “I froze the restaurant today because Liisa read a spell out loud for some reason.”

“Okay, that’s true.” Liisa shrugged, “But, it was not the spell that gave you powers!”

“Great game, guys.” Elizaveta said, interrupting whatever Ema was going to say. “But I don’t find it funny; remember you two are the ones that believed heavily into magic, not me.”

Ema frowned and then smushed her lips together into a false smile, “Okay, fine, follow me.” She moved without waiting for them to say anything and towards where Nikolaj was finishing up working on the chandelier. She seemed to be waiting for something and when he was almost to the bottom step, she walked right next to him, giving him a smile before she pushed the ladder ever so slightly, destabilizing the man on it before she flicked her hands, stopping the man from falling.

Elizaveta watched on with increasing levels of horror. The fact that Ema would hurt someone just to prove a point; especially when it was a person that she seemed to like a least a bit, was soon overshadowed by the fact that Nikolaj had froze in midair, hands flailing. “What the hell?”

“Exactly. Liisa has turned us into freaks.” Ema said as she moved to the parlor, grabbing all the pillows off the chairs and couch, placing it right under the area the man was going to hit. After a second, she moved and grabbed the blankets as well. It wasn’t that high of a fall given that Nikolaj had been almost off the ladder, but she still worried.

Nikolaj unfroze after a second, falling directly into the pillows, a questioning look on his face. Before he could say anything though, Elizaveta dragged her cousins up the stairs, ready to go directly to her room so they could talk. Once they got up there though, Liisa pushed ahead and moved up the stairs towards the attic.

“We can’t get the attic open, remember.” She said as she followed the two of them upstairs.

Liisa shook her head, “No, we couldn’t, now we can.”

Elizaveta said nothing more, just watched as her cousin opened the attic door to allow them all admittance. She had always wanted to go in there, wanted to know what was in there but when their grandfather was alive he had always told them to never go up there and they had followed that rule given that it seemed to be the only rule of the house. But that never stopped the niggling desire to go up there and learn what was in there.

Now that she was up there, her curiosity got the better of her and she looked around openly. The dark paneling of the room could’ve been considered too dark if it wasn’t for the large stained windows that stood just across from the door. There was junk that she could recognize as from when they were younger but there was also junk that she had never seen before, boxes of clothing laid off to the side. It was what was front and center that drew her attention though; a large wooden pedestal that stood to her chest with a leather bound green book that had gold words on it and silver circles that stood apart.

“What is this?” She asked, awe in her voice as she touched it. It was as hard as it looked with a feel of electricity around it.

“Magic book.” Liisa answered, sitting on the chest behind her.

Ema moved up behind her as Liisa started to recount her earlier day and leaned over her shoulder, also staring at the gold words that were stamped on front. “It’s pretty looking.” She muttered.

Liisa moved to stand in front of them, opening her mouth to say something when the circles on the book moved closer, entwining themselves. There was a soft wind chime sound and a tingling feeling all up their arms before it stopped as suddenly as it started.

“Okay, what was that?” She asked, feeling as though those words were going to be common place for however long it took to explain everything that was going on.

 

* * *

 

Nikolaj left quarter to five, giving them his card in case they found something else they needed fixing – not that he needed to, Ema had already mentioned that their plumbing was messed up and sometimes they didn’t get hot water and he had given his word that he would check that out the next day. And then they were left in the kitchen, surrounded by books – including The Book – and trying to research everything.

“So we’re witches?” Elizaveta questioned yet again, “That just doesn’t make sense, I can’t remember mom or dad ever using magic.”

“None of us can, so if they had powers they made sure never to use them.” Liisa said, “What I don’t get is why?”

“Maybe because the whole Charmed prophecy mentioned in Prue’s book.” Ema suggested, “I mean, logically if your family is destined to produce the most powerful good witches ever, strong enough to defeat the – what was the name again? The Source of all Evil – then I would assume that you’d be hunted. Maybe that’s why the never used their powers, at least after we were born, because they were scared of being found.”

Elizaveta shrugged and nodded, “Sounds like it can be legitimate.” She muttered, her hand gliding over the pages of the book in front of her. “But, the Charmed Ones are sisters, not cousins so I mean, why do you think we’re them?” She pointed her question to Liisa who shrugged herself.

“It’s not that I think we’re them, it just makes sense.” She sighed, “So according to Prudence, the Charmed Ones are supposed to have the powers of Melinda Warren; one who would move objects with their mind, one to freeze time itself and one who would see the future. So far, that seems to mean us. I mean, I haven’t had a premonition yet, but I’m trying. Also, according to the book, no other trio, when there is a trio of siblings or cousins or such like that, have powers that line up like that. Normally they’re random powers but we have the powers of the Charmed Ones.”

“That’s true. This book from our great grandmother says that only the Charmed Ones should have those powers. Apparently, she herself had a variation of the freezing one and it seems like Gramps had the power of premonition.” Ema said, reading the words. “My thing is what does that even mean? What does being Charmed mean?”

“That all evil is after you?” Elizaveta said shaking her head. “I don’t know but if we are charmed, we have to be careful. We don’t want these demons and warlocks to just be able to hunt us down.”

“That’s just it,” Liisa said, “apparently, they should be able to. They’re drawn to the strength of our powers so the stronger we get by using our powers, the more demons that will show up.”

“And if we don’t use our powers, we’re sitting ducks.” Elizaveta added, sighing. “Basically, if you’re right and we’re the Charmed Ones, we’re doomed no matter what we do?”

“Yeah.” Liisa said, shrugging slightly. She reached over to touch her cousin’s hand, “Sor-!”

Her words fell away into a gasp as she was pulled into a premonition, at least she hoped, where they were standing in the attic, encircled by a group of demons with the bodies of four people she didn’t know laying on the floor, knocked out. The group of demons came closer, hands outstretched as some held fire in the palms of their hands. One of them threw a flame ball at her and she ducked, being pulled out of the premonition.

“Oh my god!” She said, breathing heavily. The world was coming back and she looked at the worried faces of her cousins. “Oh my god.”

“What’s the matter?” Ema asked, leaning over the table to rest a hand on her cheek, checking her temperature. “What just happened?”

“A vision?” Elizaveta asked.

Liisa nodded, huffing slightly. “Yeah, it was terrible. We were, we were in the attic and there were these demons surrounding us, balls of fire from their hand and there were these people I didn’t recognized – maybe people we’re supposed to protect? - laying on the floor, knocked out. I thought we were going to die!”

A moment of silence before Ema asked, “Did we?”

“What?”

“Did we die?”

“I don’t know, the vision didn’t last long.” She replied, a nervous feeling sinking its way into her stomach. “Let me try again.”

She reached for Elizaveta again, hoping to be pulled back into the same premonition but wasn’t. Instead, for over half hour, she kept reaching for her cousins, hoping that somehow a simple touch from them she could figure out their fate. Shaking her head, she placed her hands on the table, finally giving up. “Nothing.”

“Maybe the Book has something in it that will help?” Ema suggested, grabbing for the green book. Before she could touch it though, the pages flipped open as if they were being looked through by someone invisible, stopping on a page. “Elizaveta?”

“Nope.” She said. “At least I don’t think so.” Elizaveta was the only one to not have used her powers while the three of them were together, but they were sure she had telekinesis due to her explanation of her interview and the mysterious elevator that skipped all the floors but the one she was going to.

“Well, what’s the page?” Liisa asked, leaning over the table, trying to read it upside down.

“ _To call a lost witch._ ”

“Why would we need to call a lost witch?” She asked, furrowing her brow. “I mean, the Charmed ones are the power of three, and there are three of us.”

Elizaveta hummed, “Well the Book opened up to it for a reason.”

“Do we even have the ingredients to cast it?” Liisa asked as Ema got up, moving over to the cabinet where she kept the herbs she used to cook.

“What do we need again?” She asked, pulling out glass jars. “Rosemary?”

“Rosemary, cypress and yarrow root? What is yarrow root?” Elizaveta asked, frowning.

“Yarrow root is the thing I use to make that tea you like so much.” Ema answered, shaking her head a bit. “I’ll need more cypress after this though.”

Liisa shook her head, “Okay I get rosemary, that’s normal for cooking, but what’s with the other stuff?”

“Gramps liked making his own tea and oils.” Ema answered, “Most of the teas he used when we were sick was made by him.”

“I did not know that.” Liisa muttered, looking down. She was trying to not think about it, but she didn’t really know her grandfather as much as she thought she did, her own anger keeping her from learning about the man that raised and loved her.

“So since we have the ingredients, should we try to cast it?”

The three looked at the ground, it was one thing to say they were witches when they were just playing around and reading things, but actually trying to do a spell, that was something different. Ema played with the glass jars while Liisa fingered the edges of the page, them both looking up to look at Eliza for direction. They always turned to her to make the difficult decisions.

“I think we should.” Eliza said. 

 

* * *

 

Tables littered the large attic and they set themselves up on a low lying table near the pedestal that the Book sat upon. They had dug through the magic supplies throughout the entire attic for a mortar and pestle, a brass cauldron, candles and some crystals, which some reading had explained would protect them while they cast a spell.

“So we’ve done a protection circle,” Ema said, “now onto the spell, right?”

“Yup.”

“Okay, so in a silver mortar, put our ingredients and grind?” Elizaveta read, “Okay, you know what, Liisa you were a pagan for a while, you do this.”

“Ema was too!” Liisa said as she was handed the mortar. Both her cousins frowned at her and she shook her head, taking it. “Okay fine. Put the ingredients in for me.”

Ema put a pinch of rosemary, a sprig of cypress and a yarrow root in the mortar. and handed her the pestle. “While grinding it all up, chant the words.” The three of them stared at each other before nodding.

_“Power of the witches rise_   
_course unseen across the skies_   
_come to us who call you near_   
_come to us and settle here.”_

“What’s next?” Ema asked.

“Spill the blood of the caller-”

“What?”

Elizaveta laughed lightly, “We have to prick our fingers and place our blood in the mortar. and finish the chant.”

“No.” Ema said, clutching her fingers to her chest. “You know I have a problem with blood. And not to mention that’s completely unsanitary!”

“Ema.” Liisa groaned, dropping her head on the table. “You have to.”

“No.” She said sternly. “I’m not.”

Elizaveta grabbed the athame that they had placed beside Liisa and stabbed her finger, “Ok ow, but I’m not bleeding.” She said after a moment.

“Ugh.” Ema dropped her head to her hands before getting up, “Be right back.” She yelled as she exited the attic, leaving them in the circle.

“Did she just break the circle?” Liisa asked.

“I think.”

After two minutes, Ema came back carrying a black pouch. She entered the circle again and sat down, unzipping it and pulling out a plunger. “Here, this should work.”

“Why do you have one of those diabetes testing kits?” Liisa questioned as she was handed the plunger after Elizaveta had used it. Ema handed her a different lancet, telling her to drop the used one in the trash.

“Well, when Gramps had his stroke, it was attributed to diabetes and so I bought a couple for him since he kept losing his, saying it wasn’t diabetes. After a while, I bought my own so I could keep a watch on it. Diabetes can run in the family you know.” She answered.

Elizaveta frowned as she watched her cousin prick her finger and hold it over the mortar., “Wait, you can stab your finger to check for a disease they could never prove Gramps had, but a spell that should help us defend ourselves is a no go?”

“No, a spell where I have to stab myself with a ceremonial shared athame is where I draw the line.” Ema said, “Can we just..-”

“Yeah, yeah.”

_“Blood to blood, we summon thee_   
_blood to blood, return to me.”_

The three cousins stared at each other as their chanting came to an end, waiting for something to appear or for someone to appear or, in general, for something to happen. After a minute though, Elizaveta sighed. “I don’t think anything’s going to happen.”

“Maybe we’re -”

The doorbell echoed through the house. Liisa clapped her hands together in excitement before she jumped up and started down the attic steps, Elizaveta and Ema one step behind her. They called for her to slow down, to think about it and her vision but she wasn’t listening. As she made her way to the front door, she slowed slightly.

Magical destiny time.

Elizaveta pushed her hand away, moving to stand in front. “I’ll open the door.” She said softly.

Her older cousin was always protective, always standing up against bullies and people who tried to make fun of them for not having parents – douchebags, Liisa thought – and it was highly appreciated when they were younger and in school, but not anymore. She wasn’t a little kid and she didn’t need a parent anymore. She needed a friend.

The door opened and Elizaveta tried to shield them but it didn’t work. Liisa could very clearly see the blonde and blacked haired women standing there, a tall, very white man with near white hair behind them. The blondes were smiling while the dark haired beauty was more reserved.

“Can I help you?” Elizaveta asked, hand on the door blocking them from coming inside.

One of the blondes sighed, “This place is exactly what I always thought it would be.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh yeah, sorry!” The blonde said, “I’m Amelia, this is my sister Madeline and my other sister Rosalinda – we call her Rosa – and we are you cousins.”

“Well, like you’re first cousins twice removed or something like that.” Madeline said, “I think at least.”

“Okay?”

Rosa shot her sisters a look, “Did you three come into your powers recently?” She asked bluntly.

Elizaveta stiffened, “I’m sorry, you need to leave. We all have work in the morning -”

“I know,” Rosa said, “You’re going to be taking my place at the auction house, I remember you.”

Liisa watched as her cousin’s fingers turned white from how tight she was holding on the door, griping it with all she had. “Look, I’m not sure what this is but you need to leave.”

“No, wait!” Madeline said, cutting in. She pushed ahead from her siblings and gave them three a sweet look. “I know it seems like we’re crazy, but I promise, give us five minutes to explain everything to you.”

“I think we should give them a chance.” Ema said from her place off on the side, reaching to grab Eliza’s hand and removed it from the door. She moved to stand in front, “Come in, we can talk in the kitchen.”

“Start speaking though.” Elizaveta muttered, pulling her hand out of Ema’s grasp.

Madeline nodded and followed, “Okay, so was your grandfather named Ezra Halliwell?” She asked. They nodded and she continued, “Our grandmother was Victoria Halliwell, his cousin. She was the daughter of Prudence Halliwell, the cousin of Piper, your great grandmother. She had the power to move things with her mind, like Rosa does. She had our mother when she was young and our mother had us, raising us to be three powerful witches – but we think, since something happened and we were disqualified-”

“What caused you guys to be disqualified?” Liisa asked as she slid into her favorite seat; the head of the table that was pushed behind the small half wall that blocked the small dining table from the rest of the kitchen. Ema moved to start some tea while the rest of them sat in the mismatched chairs.

“Our mother fell in love with her whitelighter.” Madeline answered, her eyes flirting over to the man. “They loved each other so much but falling for your charge was – is forbidden and so to punish our mother, our father was taken from us and recycled.”

“What are whitelighters?” Elizaveta asked.

“Me.” The man said, “Gilbert Beilshmidt at your services.”

“Okay, what do you do?”

“Whitelighters are the guides for witches, they help teach them and keep them safe. Oftentimes they get assigned to witches who don’t know they’re witches yet to watch over them.” Gilbert paused, “I’m actually really surprised you three don’t have a whitelighter already.”

“Yeah, no whitelighter, just an ancient house who’s electric doesn’t always work and a cat.” Liisa muttered as Ema brought over the tea set, giving everyone a cup.

“Not a lot matches in this kitchen, does it?” Rosa asked as she lifted her bright blue mug and looked to her sister’s different colored mugs. Everything in the kitchen seemed mismatched besides the butcher block counters.

“Gramps let us fill this place with our things.” Ema said softly, “Since we’re three different people who liked multiple different things, we got some mismatched furniture to go with the house.”

“Grams Victoria always had everything perfect – our rooms though, she never had the heart to tell us to keep it clean.” Rosa said just as softly. A small smile graced her face before she continued, “Anyway, so once we were disqualified, you guys would’ve been the next trio born during this time and of our family line, leaving you three to become the Charmed Ones.”

“How much do you know about that?” Liisa asked, “We’ve been doing research in all our books but there isn’t much besides the prophecy.”

“There isn’t much in general. Grams tried to explain it to us but the Angel of Destiny visited her and explained her that it wasn’t her job to explain it to us.” Madeline replied, “We’ve done our own research but there isn’t much about the Charmed Ones anywhere besides that they’re supposed to destroy the Source.”

“So only the same things we found.” Liisa sighed, slumping in the chair.

“Okay, so wait, you guys were supposed to be the Charmed Ones?” Elizaveta asked, “Regardless of why you were disqualified, why was your destiny given to us?”

“Because you come from the Halliwell line and your parents were siblings which makes you guys more powerful than just normal cousins.” Amelia answered, “You guys would’ve been powerful witches even if you weren’t Charmed.”

“And because the Charmed Ones had to be born during this time.” Gilbert added, his face and voice serious, “Prophecies from Seers and Oracles have pointed to there being several great battles of Good vs Evil to happen in the coming years and those battles to have outcomes that determine much of the future – the Charmed Ones are needed for the side of good to win. So instead of waiting for another pair of siblings in the Halliwell line, the Angels of Destiny had you three imbued with the powers of the Charmed Ones.”

Silence overtook the room. Elizaveta stared at her tea cup, griping the handle a bit too hard. She had several harsh words to say about these people deciding their lives for them – all because the sisters who were supposed to be the Charmed Ones’ mother fell in love with someone she wasn’t – but she was beaten to the punch by Ema.

“When?” Ema asked, soft and angry. “When did they decide that this was our destiny to take?”

“I’m sorry.” Gilbert said instead of truly answering her and it was all that Ema apparently needed as she pushed her chair back and left the room.

“Em-” Liisa got up to follow but Elizaveta stopped her.

“Why are you sorry?” She asked, wanting to know the answer.

Gilbert looked down. “The Elders went to the Angels of Destiny three days after Amelia and Madeline was born – a few weeks later, due to your new destiny, your parents were marked for death.”

“Our destiny killed our parents?” Liisa muttered, a whimper escaping her lips as she dropped back in her seat.

“Destiny has a funny way -”

“It wasn’t funny!” Elizaveta shouted, shaking her head and glaring at the man-angel. “It was traumatic. It was my parents dying in fire, Ema’s dying in a car crash and Liisa’s dying in a boat accident. It was leaving home and having to lose our languages to assimilate here. It was losing everything that we knew and coming here.”

“Coming here couldn’t be all that bad, right?” Amelia said softly, a small smile growing on her face as she tried to get them to see the bright side.

Liisa shook her head, “Gramps was great but knowing that what we thought were freak accidents were in fact forced upon our parents as a way to get us to where we needed to be, that’s something that can’t be painted over.” She slid her seat back and left the kitchen, a flurry of blonde hair and tears.

Elizaveta sighed, leaning back in her chair, running a hand through her brown hair. She could feel her body shaking, the anger she felt mixing with the sadness and the slurry of emotions that came from relieving her parents death. “They’re going to be angry for a while, why don’t you guys leave and then come back tomorrow night?” She offered after a few moments in silence.

“Sure.” Madeline said, getting up and taking her cup and her sister’s cups to the counter to clean them off. Gilbert came up behind her and handed her his cup, wrapping his arms around her and leaned on her shoulder.

“Is that another reason you guys didn’t get the destiny?” Elizaveta asked after a moment of staring at them. They were a cute couple but she knew that if their mother lost them their destiny by having children with her whitelighter, one of the should’ve-been Charmed Ones having a relationship with their whitelighter was probably another strike.

Rosa nodded, giving a small smile to Eliza. “It is.”

“Why aren’t you mad at her then?”

“Because Madeline’s happiness is more important than a destiny.” She replied, getting up. “Thank you for listening to us, even with the bad revelations. If any of you three ever want to talk, I’m here. We understand the lost of parents to supernatural destinies better than most do.”

“Thank you.”

Amelia followed Rosa’s action while Eliza debated whether she should get up to show them out or let them go out through the side door when she heard a crashing noise coming from upstairs. Before she knew it, she was up and out of her chair, running up the steps, calling her cousin’s names.

“Guys?” She yelled as she pushed the attic door opened.

In the center of the room, three men stood grinning dangerously. Liisa laid close to the door on her side, her breaths coming short. Ema was across the room, crawling backwards towards the Book while they menaced behind her. She was muttering something in Estonian and Elizaveta felt worried at the way the words were slurred. She lifted her arms, swinging it out widely and tossing the men away from Ema while Gilbert went over to Liisa, holding his hand over her, a bright white light coming off his hand.

Liisa gasped awake and jolted up. “Ema!”

Elizaveta looked around the room and found Ema sitting with the Book in her lap and her glass askew as she flipped through pages after pages, her lips mouthing something. Elizaveta cursed the fact that her cousin opted to read instead of running. She rushed over to her, bending down to check her eyes as Ema struggled over being fussed over.

“Stop, I’m checking to make sure you don’t have brain damage.” She ordered as she kept an eye out for the men. They slowly got up, just as the others came to join her. Tall, fair and not handsome laughed before letting out a screech noise.

“Gilbert what is that?” She heard Madeline ask as she covered her ears. Gilbert shrugged mid-glowing hand over Ema before continuing in what he was doing. Ema tried to bat him away, but he kept his hands steady.

“What are you doing?”

“Whitelighters can heal their charges.” Gilbert answered, “Though you aren’t mine, you are innocents and that is another thing we can heal.”

Elizaveta nodded as her eyes flickered to the three sisters that stood above them, Rosa holding out her hand as blue and white orbs encircled things around the attic and dropped onto the demons. That screeching noise must have been a call to their brethren, she thought as she stood, grabbing the Book from Ema and dropping it on the pedestal. She held her hands above it, closed her eyes and wished for something to happen that could help them.

A soft jingle filled the air and the Book opened, flipping itself like before.

“What are you doing?” Amelia asked as she came to stop beside her.

Elizaveta shrugged, “It worked once.” She answered as the Book came to a stop on a page referencing the demons that were currently filling the attic.

Ema stood up, coming to stand next to her right as a demon charged towards them. Her wrists flicked and the demon came to a stop, Eliza using her own powers to move the demon into the one charging for Madeline. Amelia took over looking through the Book – touching the old paper as softly as she could, almost reverently, as they continued flinging demons across the room and into each other.

“They can only be defeated by a power of three spell.” She yelled through the noise. A look of consternation appeared on her face as flipped to the front of the Book.

“I’m sorry,” Ema asked, shaking her head, “What is that?”

“A power of three spell is one of the most powerful spells that you three will have – it’s a rhyme that maybe your parents used to say to you or arc words that continued to show up in your life.” Amelia answered.

“Really? Tropes in a moment like this?” Ema laughed nervously, “Let’s save the tropes for when there isn’t demons trying to kill us.”

“Demons,” Elizaveta chuckled humorlessly, “demons are attacking us. What even is my life?" She shook her head, trying to clear it. "We don't have any words like that."

"Use this then: _the power of three will set us free._ " Amelia said, going to stand with her sisters in front of them. "Join hands."

Elizaveta looked towards both Liisa and Ema before grabbing their hands, squeezing comfortingly. "Ready?" She asked softly as the sisters in front of them stopped throwing the demons back and moved to stand beside them.

Their chanting echoed through the attic, stopping the demons in their track. The words brought a sort of strength to them and Elizaveta watched as Liisa grabbed Amelia's hand, Ema doing something similar on her side with Madeline, who grabbed Rosalinda. With all their hands joined, their chanting grew louder, the sisters joining in. The demons screeched in pain and twisted in pain, fire growing under their feet before they disappeared, screaming and yelling.

The attic was silent as they stood, their hands conjoined and Gilbert standing behind them looking at them in awe. Elizaveta stared at the black smudges on the ground before letting her hands drop to her side, letting go of her cousins. Her head swirled with what had just happened. Several hours ago, she had been normal – or so she thought. Her powers had been dormant, but now they weren't and she had just fought off a horde of demons with a trio of sister witches and her own cousins.

She had been right to ask, was this what her life was coming to? Was this what it was going to be like all the time? If so, things would have to change.

She heard Ema and Liisa let out twin sighs before they leaned against her. "What just happened?" Liisa asked, her voice awed and confused. "I mean, did we really just fight demons?"

"You did." Rosalinda said kindly, giving them all a small smile as she dropped into the nearest chair. "I know it's scary but this is your life now."

Could they handle this as their life now?

 

* * *

 

The sisters ended up staying the night. Ema had showed them to the two guest bedrooms, saying that two of them would have to share. Madeline and Amelia had decided to since they were twins and that Rosalinda deserved her own bed for the night. Liisa had loaned them a pair of pajamas each and Elizaveta had given them an extra blanket, knowing that the bedrooms were often drafty since they were so unused and their radiators were turned off so that they saved on the heating bill.

Gilbert had offered to take them back home after he talked to the Elders but the sisters had turned him down, wanting to stay after what had happened.

Elizaveta had stayed up the entire night, her hand wrapped around a coffee cup whose contents had long since gone cold. She listened as the sounds of life began to stir from upstairs, first from the room where she had put Rosa. The other woman was probably the early riser out of her sisters as it seemed that there were similarities that were shared between them. She wondered if it was because of the whole witch thing or if it was just the fact that they were in similar situations.

Whatever it was, Eliza was sure that she would learn more about these sisters who were related to her as she knew that after last night, neither Liisa or Ema was going to let go of them anytime soon. There was a connection and the more Eliza read, the more she assumed that Rosalinda and her sisters were going to be apart of their coven. She didn't know how that would work, but Elizaveta was willing to bet that it was going to happen regardless of what those meddlesome Elders had to say about it.

Getting up, Elizaveta dumped out her coffee and poured herself a new one, listening as unfamiliar steps made their way down the steps. She was hoping that Ema was going to be down to start breakfast but instead it was Madeline, who moved about their kitchen seamlessly. She seemed to know deep down that it wasn't her kitchen and she blinked the sleep from her eyes, taking everything in stride. It took her only five minutes to fully understand their chaotic kitchen organization before she began to cook.

"Hi." Elizaveta said after a moment, moving back to sit at the table. Madeline started and turned, looking towards her with wide eyes hidden behind her wire glasses.

"Oh, sorry." She said, her voice soft and sweet, "I should've asked if it was okay if I cooked, I'm just so used to waking up and cooking."

Elizaveta waved her off, "No, it's fine. Ema's usually the one who cooks and I think she might find it nice to have a day off of cooking for the house."

Madeline gave a smile before turning back to the pan on the stove. "I love your kitchen, it's so rustic." She said, grabbing a plate from the cabinets. "Our dad had updated the entire kitchen before we were born so it's newer than everything here, but also a bit cold."

"About your dad," Elizaveta began, "whatever happened to him?"

"He was recycled." Madeline answered stiffly. The words just barely coming out. "I was three when it was decided that he and mom couldn't continue being together. She was heartbroken and tore the world apart, punishing the Elders for their decision."

"I meant, what does it mean to be recycled?"

"It means that our souls are taken and thrown back down to earth to be reincarnated." Gilbert answered from the kitchen door. "I hope you don't mind me just popping in."

"I don't but I'm sure Ema will; she's a chef and her kitchen is her home." Elizaveta replied, motioning for him to sit. "She'll deal though."

"Wait, Ema's a chef?" Madeline asked, smiling, "I'm one too—or well, not hired yet, but I am one."

"Really?" That was another similarity between them.

"I recently lost my last job at a diner when it closed, but I've been dreaming of the day when I could open my own restaurant." She said, going back to cooking. "It's a dream that right now is unrealized. I've had to apply to other things besides cooking, but I'm determined."

Elizaveta nodded, humming as she realized that Ema's own dream was similar. She too wanted to own a restaurant, wanted the thrill of both managing and cooking at a place she could call her own. Despite her cousin's insistence that she was not a manager, she worked well as someone in control of others and Elizaveta knew that if her own dream of ever owning a restaurant came to be, she would also control what happened behind the scenes as well. It was perhaps her cousin's biggest flaw: she was a control freak. Elizaveta was only thankful that she was not like those control freaks who were in everyone's face.

"Well I believe in you, Maddie." Amelia said coming into the kitchen, rubbing at her sleepy eyes. Liisa followed close by, her stance almost identical.

"I smell pancakes." She muttered as she slid into the chair next to Eliza. "Ema's still asleep?" She asked, sipping coffee from the cup in front of her.

"No." Ema replied as she walked into the kitchen, looking ready for the day. "Ema jumped in the shower and took one before someone else could." Ema walked to the coffee pot and made herself something to drink, watching the blonde cooking.

"I hope you don't mind?" Madeline asked and Ema shook her head.

"The less I have to cook, the happier." She said, "I'm always cooking when I wake up and get home, so a brief reprise is nice."

They laughed together, some sort of chef humor, before Rosalinda made her way down and into the kitchen. It was obvious that she had used the other shower, taking advantage of the fact that her bedroom was right next to it. She had redressed in her outfit from yesterday and looked refreshed and ready for the day. Rosa sat next to her sister and watched everyone, just like Eliza was doing. They each joined in on the small talk that seemed to fill their pre-breakfast time, but it seemed as if their younger family members were more than willing to just fill up the silence that would've been left if it was up to Eliza and Rosa.

By time Madeline – and Ema because she couldn't keep as still as she wanted to – had finished breakfast, it had become an invariable feast. Everyone helped moved the plates over to the dining room table, taking places next to each other. Elizaveta took her normal place at the head of the table, watching as Rosa struggled to figure where she should sit. Inching the second head of table seat out, she nodded her head.

Yes, this was going to be new to all of them. It was obvious that they had become close, that they had become a coven like she had thought and that meant that roles were going to be defined.

Giving Rosa a small smile, she dug into the food. It could wait though. They had just defeated a big bad and they didn't need to start focusing on what that meant for them. Especially since she and her cousins had yet to even really come to terms with their own magic. But it would be one step at a time, for right now, she decided. Just one step at a time.

**Author's Note:**

> don't break a circle when you're doing magic, kids, just don't okay. 
> 
> also... while this will mostly be about our main power of three, I always hated in the show that they never really reached out to more witches. I mean, if the episode needed them to - or wanted to introduce a minor character who was a witch, they would, but other than that you see them struggling to fight all these demons without any help. That’s why in this story, they will be creating a coven-esque group with our should’ve-been-charmed ones. Honestly, I decided this because I wanted characters who don’t really interact with each other to do so. I don’t know, it was an idea that didn’t escape me and I had hoped would be done in time for FU week but it wasn’t and so it’s a late birthday present for me.


End file.
